TICKETS are on sale for Christchurch’s Christmas Spectacular show, which is due to be held at the Bournemouth Pavilion for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Teaming up with local producer Michael Rose, The Glad Rag Production Company ran the wardrobe department for the successfully run of the musical Sleepless, the first indoor musical to reopen during the pandemic, at Wembley Park Theatre from Tuesday August 25 to Sunday September 27.

Now the Christchurch based theatre company are to host their festive show in the town centre venue as the Regent Centre have announced they are not doing live theatre until next year.

Costume Designer Sue Simmerling said: “We were delighted that the Bournemouth Pavilion approached us as they are a 1,500-seater venue and, under current coronavirus restrictions, we can try to have 450 tickets on offer.

“Our performances have always been well received in Christchurch and we had an awful lot of messages from people saying they are upset at the fact that we are not able to host our performances at the Regent Centre.

“We have been doing shows for the past eight years at the Regent Centre. However, we hope to bring the same energy and high-quality performance to Bournemouth this December.”

Joining forces with Scott Ritchie Productions, the show, which is due to be held at Bournemouth Pavilion from Monday December 21 to Saturday December 26, features homegrown cast members in a one act show.

Tickets for the shows were put on sale on Friday October 16, starting from £20.25.

Although still in its infancy, representatives from the production company are due to meet with Bournemouth Pavilion to discuss how the theatre can assist us in promoting the show.

Sue added: “Of course, the safety of our cast and audience members is paramount.

“We worked on Sleepless the musical and for that we were using heat monitors for audience members and tests for our cast members

“I would like to have Covid tests for my cast, but the costs involved in getting hold of them far outweigh what we are able to spend on them, unless we can get sponsorships

“We are not a West End company; we are a small independent company, so we are looking for sponsorship and assistance in getting this show on stage.”

The Glad Rag Production Company are also due to launch a virtual advent calendar to help get people in the festive mood and to help raise funds to host the show.

With the show not likely to make a profit due to the reduced capacity of the auditorium, The Glad Rag Production Company are looking for sponsorship in order to safety and successfully put on their Christmas show

“There is no money to be made from the show due to the reduced capacity of the audience but we want to host it to make people feel a little bit more normal and to help keep the Christmas spirit alive this winter,” said Sue.

She added: “We are going to be hosting a virtual advent calendar to not only help raise money for the show but provide some entertainment for people who will not be able to attend the shows in December.

“We are trying to stay positive about the situation but, with Covid-19 hanging over our heads, we are having to react to updates to see if the show is still viable.”

To purchase tickets, visit www.bhlivetickets.co.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=christmas-spectacular-pavilion-2020&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=.